1

I had my DNA tested through a third party, independent (i.e.: not one of the main genealogy sites) lab. I have my results from them but want to upload them to the main site that I use (myheritage.com, if that's relevant) but cannot.

Is there a way to convert my data to a format that can be read by them without having to go pay to do another test by them when I already got tested elsewhere?

3
  • 2
    Are you able to tell us which site, as it will help us craft better answers?
    – user6485
    Jun 20, 2018 at 18:43
  • 1
    Hi, welcome to G&FH.SE! Do you know which chip your testing company is using?
    – Jan Murphy
    Jun 20, 2018 at 20:53
  • Thanks! No, I don't know which chip. (Don't even know what you mean by chip). This was done by a group at the U of Michigan as part of a research project. Jun 25, 2018 at 14:42

1 Answer 1

4

Maybe.

First you would need to be able to download your autosomal raw data from your testing service. It should save to a text or csv (comma delimited file). If they provide the raw data, it should be a large file containing hundreds of thousands of lines. Each line should contain fields for the RSID, Chromosome, Position and the Value. If your service does not allow you access to your raw data, or if your raw data does not contain those fields, then you are out of luck.

Next you would have to convert your raw data to the format of one of the companies that MyHeritage DNA can import, i.e., Ancestry DNA, Family Tree DNA, or 23andMe.

If I were trying to do this, I would load the raw data into Excel, change it to the raw data format of, say, Family Tree DNA, and then save it from Excel as a csv file. The Family Tree DNA raw data looks like this:

RSID,CHROMOSOME,POSITION,RESULT
"rs4477212","1","82154","AA"
"rs3094315","1","752566","--"
"rs3131972","1","752721","AG"

where the first line is a header line and the next 3 show how the rest of them would look.

I would give the file a name similar to one those of Family Tree DNA raw data files, e.g. 37_Testers_Name_Autoso_20170621.csv, and then try uploading it. Maybe MyHeritage would take it or maybe it would not. It would depend on what checks MyHeritage does to ensure it is a Family Tree DNA raw data file.

Even if MyHeritage DNA takes it, you might or might not get very good results, depending on what RSIDs your testing company include in their raw data file and whether these overlap enough with the RSIDs that MyHeritage tests for. MyHeritage does imputation for RSIDs that are missing and that will cause some inaccuracy.

4
  • BTW,I finally got around to doing this, and MH still didn't take it. Oh well. Do you happen to know the formatting of any of the other places, like Ancestry, 23andMe, Living DNA so I can try those? Thanks! Oct 26, 2018 at 15:16
  • 1
    After I answered, a program became available that might convert your raw data for you. It is called DNA Kit Studio by Wilhelm Halys. You can try it. If it doesn't work, contact Wilhelm and he might be able to help you. wilhelmhgenealogy.wordpress.com/dna-kit-studio
    – lkessler
    Oct 26, 2018 at 16:12
  • 1
    Thanks!!! I had to try a couple different ways but I finally got a file accepted by MyHeritage! They say I'll have results in a few days. Let's just hope it's useful data after all this! :) Nov 1, 2018 at 5:29
  • 1
    So, just for some closure here, I tried several times, several different ways, and, although MyHeritage allowed me to upload a few files created by that program, none of them actually were able to be processed. Ah well. It was worth a try. Thanks for the effort! Nov 21, 2018 at 14:29

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.